The present invention relates to beacon light deflectors.
Beacon lights are required on structures above a certain height in localities where aircraft are present. These requirements are usually covered by federal regulation and require at least one beacon on top of a structure and often a plurality of beacons at designated heights. Particularly affected by this requirement are towers such as may be used by power utilities and cellular phone transmitters.
Of increasing concern is the problem of light pollution and this becomes more problematic as the number of towers increases in residential areas. Thus, the beacons are required to give off a certain light intensity which can be a problem aesthetically in many localities.
While this problem has existed for some time, to the best of applicant's knowledge there have not been any commercially acceptable devices which overcome the problem. Thus, while one can shield the light from the ground, in doing so one must also provide visual access for the aircraft for which the light is intended. Furthermore, the problem of nesting birds in any structure and ice and snow must also be taken into account. Still further, access must be had to the beacon itself for changing the bulbs. One must also ensure that the structure is sufficiently light to mount on a tower while also having the properties of the strength to resist wind and also ice build up. One must also be certain that noises are not created as a function of the wind.
A further problem associated with beacon lights is vandalism. Frequently these targets are shot at either for reasons of eliminating the light nuisance or they may merely serve as a target for vandalism.